Superstitious nuts
by LNicol1990
Summary: Arthur learns about a superstition and has a spooky surprise. Halloween based - or should I say All Hallow's Eve.


Author's note: The belief is true. Whether or not the action works, I don't know... I kinda made it up. I'm surprised no one has written anything like this yet. Oh well. Belated Happy Halloween from me at 1:32 in the morning. Please, don't ask me why I'm still up ... I have work in the morning, and I don't really know, myself.

* * *

Arthur entered Gaius' study, an annoyed frown on his face. It always irritated him when Merlin overslept, and this was more than pushing it. He saw Gaius working on whatever it was the physician worked on.

Gaius looked to him, bowing his head in acknowledgment. He spared a look to a window before returning to his work.

Wondering what had caught Gaius' attention, Arthur followed his gaze. He found himself shocked to be staring at the back of his manservant, Merlin.

Merlin was precariously reaching out from a ladder, holding onto a bookshelf with one hand, while the other bore a string with several objects on it. He was trying to attach the string to hooks around the windowsill.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur asked, disbelief at his servant had dispelled all irritation from him.

Merlin twisted his head around, further increasing the risk of his position. It took him a moment to find a position for his head where he could properly look at the person addressing him. When he finally saw the prince, an innocent, bewildered look was on his face.

"Uhh, I'm hanging up hazel nuts," he answered plainly, not understanding the confusion in Arthur.

"Okay…" Arthur frowned as his confusion grew. "Why?"

Merlin quickly stretched out and managed to hook the string of hazel nuts. With the task done, he restored himself to a safe position on the ladder and he climbed down. With his feet firmly on terra-firma, he turned back to Arthur.

"It's All Hallow's Eve tonight," Merlin shrugged, still not understanding.

Arthur looked at him blankly. With no information drawn up from his servant, he turned to Gaius instead, hoping for an explanation.

"All Hallow's Eve is the night where, once a year, the boundary between the living and dead is broken," Gaius explained. "Spirits are said to wonder the world on that night. Some are those of good spirits, passed loved ones perhaps, others are not so benevolent."

"That sounds an awful lot like magic, Gaius," Arthur warned, knowing that this was something he might have to report to his father.

"Well," Gaius shrugged his shoulders. "In Camelot, there may not be need of such a superstition. But in the outermost villages, however, there will always be a trace of traditional superstitions and magic."

"My mother always placed hazel nuts around the windows," Merlin objected, sounding slightly offended to Arthur's ears. "Every year," he emphasised.

"Why?" Arthur asked, humouring his manservant.

"It is well known, in superstition, that evil spirits have quite a liking to hazel nuts," Gaius continued. "It is believed that by placing hazel nuts around the windows, you are effectively offering the nuts as a bargain to the spirits."

"What kind of bargain?" Arthur quizzed, genuinely interested.

"Take the nuts and don't bother us," Merlin stated, as if it were obvious. "But you have to take the nuts down in the morning."

"Yes," Gaius agreed. "Or else you risk inviting the spirits back. It also means that there will be crushed hazel nuts in tomorrow's breakfast."

"Mmmm…" Merlin smiled at the thought. "Porridge and crushed hazel nuts…"

Arthur didn't find the appeal in the breakfast, but it seemed to bring a dreamy euphoria in Merlin. He declared to himself that he was going to have to try it to understand. But breakfast had come and gone, now was time for work.

"Well, when you're finished with dreaming about porridge and hazel nuts," he announced, bringing Merlin out of the fantasy. "There are task for you to do."

"Uh, right!" Merlin quickly bounded to Arthur's side as he began to walk out.

The day went by as any other. Sword practise, horse ridding… then came the boring part that Arthur loathed: writing reports and responding to letters to the king. He had to judge whether or not they were important enough for his father's notice, or whether he could respond to them himself.

Merlin was sweeping the floor behind him. It gave a strange sense of rhythm to the work, which Arthur found he enjoyed. It wasn't until the wind rattled the windows suddenly that Arthur's mind returned to the earlier conversation he had had with his servant.

"Merlin…" he called out, his tone bored and yet conversational. "How many hazel nuts would you say would be needed if you were to hang them on those windows?" he asked casually, pointing to the large windows in his room.

Merlin stopped sweeping and regarded the windows. They were considerably larger than the ones in his mother's house, or Gaius' study. But he doubted that size really mattered. He shrugged his shoulders, not caring if Arthur saw or not.

"My mother would always put out five for each window, but hers were considerably smaller," Merlin answered. "Though, if I had to guess… I'd probably say about… eight."

Arthur paused in his work to observe the windows as well. He thought that probably more than eight nuts were needed, but argued that Merlin knew more about this than he did.

"Are the nuts hard to obtain?" he asked, his tone still casual.

"No," Merlin shook his head. "I can quite easily get some in the forest. Why?"

"It can't hurt," Arthur shrugged, returning to his work. "Besides, I don't want you awake all night, worrying about whether or not there are evil spirits lurking about. It's an important day tomorrow, and I want you at your best…" he trailed off on the last word, smirking slightly.

"Okay," Merlin shrugged as well.

He didn't think much of the request, but knew that he would be sleeping better tonight, knowing that Arthur wouldn't be troubled by evil spirits… at least tonight.

When the night drew in, Merlin had come and gone. Hazel nuts hung around Arthur's windows, clunking slightly as they moved in whatever breeze stirred them. Arthur had counted the nuts, and sure enough, there were eight in each window.

Feeling no different than any other night, Arthur turned over and went to sleep.

Dawn came and Merlin finally showed up in Arthur's room. It was of no surprise, since Merlin had probably enjoyed his breakfast treat. This was one of the subjects Arthur wanted to talk to him about.

"Merlin, come here a minute," Arthur ordered.

Wondering what he'd done wrong, Merlin hesitantly joined the prince by one of the windows. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting to be chastised.

"Merlin… did you or did you not hang eight hazel nuts in these windows last night?" Arthur asked confusedly.

"Yeah, why?" Merlin felt a little cautious asking this, but he knew he had to.

"Then explain to me why there are only six in this one, and why there are seven in the other."

Merlin said nothing, but frowned in disbelief. Arthur was right: there were only six hazel nuts in the window. He looked over to the other window, and realised that there were only seven in that one.

"Merlin…?" Arthur ventured.

"Yes?" Merlin responded, he could almost anticipate Arthur accusing him of coming in and removing some of the nuts.

"Let's not tell anyone about this, shall we?" Arthur suggested, pulling down the remaining nuts.

"Sure," Merlin agreed happily, moving to the other window.

"And Merlin," Arthur called out.

"Yes?" Merlin looked to the prince expectantly.

"Next year, hang nine."


End file.
